And That Is What You Call A Paradox
by Bubblegum Royalty
Summary: A bored 17 tracks down 18 and her family and spends time with them. An altercation with Trunks, Goten, Bulla and Marron has undesirable consequences when the five of them plus 18 are sent into the other future, where 17 and 18 are evil and most of the Z-Fighters are dead. Can they escape their alternate selves before they're all killed by either side?


I rolled my eyes as yet another pair of hunters ran away from 16 and I, screaming and tripping over everything in sight. I glanced over at the (usually) peaceful android. He was smiling contently, as if we hadn't just succeeded in scaring of two more poachers.

I groaned. "I think your Emotional Processor is broken again, 16."

He faced me. "Did you say something about Goku?"

I groaned and rolled my eyes again. "Yep. Broken...AGAIN. Honestly, I thought that woman was a better inventor than this."

The woman I was talking about was Bulma Briefs, heir to Capsule Corporation. Shortly after 16 and I were wished back with the rest of Cell's victims, he and I took of for the mountains, while 18 stayed in the city. We both were content until 18 managed to locate us one day. She came with a strange chip that she claimed that she and that human had made for 16.

"What exactly is it,18?" 

"An Emotional Processor."

"What?"

"You know how annoyed we, mostly meaning you, 17-" I scowled and crossed my arms over my chest. "-were about 16, how he acted like a statue until Goku was mentioned?"

"Did you say Goku?" 16 inquired. 

"You mean how that's still a problem. I can't have fun-although my options for fun are limited in this world-because of him. Now, he just stands in the same spot all day and usually gets "accidentally" shot by hunters. Which is hilarious, by the way."

18 rolled her eyes. "So childish." she muttered. "This microchip designed by Bulma and myself will give him emotions, like you and me."

She held the chip out for me to take. I was so stunned, I didn't realize I'd accepted the chip. When the stun subsided, I glared at the chip and formed a fist around it.

"Careful, 17! You'll break it!" 

"So...you're on a first name basis with...them." I said in monotone.

18 actually shrugged, as if the idea wasn't the least bit peculiar. "Most of them."

My fist tightened involuntarily. Darn emotions, I thought, and now she wants 16 to have them?! What happened to her? Aloud, I said, "You ENJOY these emotions."

Her eyes narrowed. "17, there is no way we are ever going to get around these leftover emotions from when we were human so we have to live with them."

"There are only a few emotions an android is permitted to feel, 18; Hatred, Delight in pain, suffering and murder, Confusion and Terror, if need be."

She gasped, wide eyed. "You sound like..."

I raised an eyebrow. "Who? Gero? That strange future boy, Trunks? Emotions make my life a burning hell...and you want to involve 16 in this suck-fest?"

"You're worried about 16..." She seemed surprised. And she should've been. Even when we were humans, there were only two beings I ever cared about: her and myself. I never had a reason to care about anyone or anything else.

"I don't know...he's just too peaceful. What happens when this...THING activates? Does he become based on fury and hatred of any organic creature on the planet, like me? Or does he wander around humans and pretend like he's one, like you?"

My twin sister appeared as if she wanted to say something. She never did. Instead, she flew into the air and took off, leaving 16 and myself standing in the middle of the Forrest.

That was the last time I saw her. Since then, I had implanted the chip in 16 and stole myself a light blue coat out of boredom. 16 remained peaceful as ever with the chip inside of him...until hunting season began. Then he began to get riled up every time someone entered "our" Forrest. He actually seriously hurt several poachers for capturing some rare-almost extinct-cutesy-woodland creature. They survived, unfortunately. Why unfortunately? Because when they were at the hospital they started spouting about two Spartans in the Forrest, nature hippie-god-freaks as rumor has it, who only have the desire to hurt anyone who hurts nature. Noone believed them, accounting it as nonsense from brain damage, until more hunters entered the Forrest and had some form of competition. 16 went berserk and since then the legend of "Hippie-God-Spartan-Freak-Vigilantes" has grown like weeds. At first I went with it. After all, what was the harm with playing with a group of hunters or a couple of teens looking for a thrill or even a crowd of police investigating the incidents? I moved so fast one time that one of those thrill seeking teens came out spouting some stupid gibberish about some "Skinny Guy" or something. Then, like many fun things, the hunting and terrorizing became dull. And 16's Emotional Processor more-often-than-not went on the fritz from the sheer intensity of the hunt, which lead to me spending countless hours repairing it. At times, I fixed it in just a certain way to cause funny glitches, but that grew old quickly. Also, I was never truly allowed to kill any human. Often times, I was shocked, scared and disgusted by my sudden desire to kill and other times it felt so familiar and right to me that 16 actually had to restrain _me. _

Suddenly, I was overcome by the strangest emotion. "16, stay here. I've got to do something." Knowing I wasn't going to get an answer from the android, I jumped into the air and flew away. I had spent so much time cooped up in that stupid Forrest that I didn't slow down to admire how beautiful the Forrest looked from above. In fact, I sped up. Not to soon, I came upon a city. I stopped there but continued to hover in the air. I turned clockwise very slowly. "Phone booth...a city like this has to be littered with them." I muttered. Finally, my sensors zeroed in on one that was "fairly close to me". I flew to the area and touched down. Most of the humans around me jumped and exclaimed in surprise and fear. I silenced them with a deadly glare. They parted like the red sea as I made my way to the Phone Booth. I was most displeased to find a human using "My Phone Booth".

He had spiked (but at the same time, strangely short) black hair and wore two sweaters (one dull white and the other purple), jeans and sneakers.

"So, I'll see you tonight, Valise?" he was saying. Impatiently, I tapped on his shoulder. "Hang on, Valise..." He turned around, most likely about to tell me to shove off. Strangely enough, instead of that he dropped the receiver and stared in fear and wonder at me. "You're..."

Eyes narrowed, I gripped his shoulder tight enough to cause a loud and satisfying 'CRACK"! He whimpered. "Times up..." I muttered threateningly. "...Hot air bag." With out a single thought or care I picked him up and tossed him like a rag doll. Many people screamed and ran away. Satisfied, I picked up the receiver.

"Goten...! Goten..! Are you okay?!" The girl, Valise, whimpered.

Who names their child Goten?, I thought. Smirking, I said, "The number you called is out of service." I slammed the receiver down. Then something occurred to me.

"That kid...Goten...recognized me." I said to myself. I was sure I'd never seen him before. Then again, he could've been part of any one of the random groups of thrill seeking teens 16 and I scared off. I shook my head and picked up the receiver. I opened the Phone Book mounted to the wall and flipped to the "K"'s. "...He'll know where she is." Quickly, my scanner located the name I was looking for. I punched the number into the phone and waited. Not even three rings passed before someone picked up.

"Hello?" The voice I heard was light and feminine, but not 18's. Though, it did sound strangely similar hers.

"Is Krillin home?" I inquired nonchalantly.

"Hang on." I heard some rustling. "Daddy! Some guy wants to talk to you!"

There was some more rustling. " Look, if you're selling something we don't want it, sir." I recognized this voice as that of the small bald man, Krillin, that had once quivered in fear like a coward watching for atop a highway as 18 and I beat his friends.

"The only thing I'd ever sell to you is a bottle of Rogain, runt."

He gasped. "Number 17!"

I chuckled. "Bingo. So you really aren't as stupid as you look."

He started asking me what I wanted but then paused abruptly. "Don't you have sensors that tell you where I live?" he asked curiously.

Inwardly, I cursed. Having lived in a Forrest for so long I had just stopped using most of my sensors. I wasn't going to let him know I forgot about them, though. "Mm-hmm."

"So, couldn't you have located me easily instead of calling me."

I scowled. "It isn't you I'm looking for."

"Oh, you're looking for your sister." He actually had the nerve to laugh.

"I don't see what's so hilarious, bald man."

"If you had bothered to use your sensors, you would've found that 18 lives with me now."

I was silent for a few moments. Then, I blinked. "What?" I asked ludicrously.

He chuckled. "It is common to live in the same house as your husband and daughter."

Again, I didn't reply immediately. "What?"

"18 and I got married a couple months after she last saw you...and then we had Marron. She's the one who answered the phone."

My sensors came to life. My scowled deepened as I read the information presented to me. "So, you named your daughter, my niece, after your bimbette of a first girlfriend."

He didn't speak for a long time. Then, he laughed wearily. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"Does 18...?"

"I'd be dead if she did." I nodded, though he couldn't see me. "Anyway, you want to see 18, I take it? She'll be home in a while. You can come over, as long as you don't kill anything." I rolled my eyes and mouthed his words mockingly. "Marron's been wanting to meet you for some time. However, I'm not sure how 18 will react."

"Simple solution; don't tell her. Her reaction will be less severe afterwards then beforehand, knowing her."

"Fine then. But, I'm pretty sure she'll kill me for not saying anything."

I gagged. "I have nothing more to say to you small man." Once more, I slammed the receiver down on the hook. I pushed my silky black hair behind my ears and turned around. That kid, Goten, was half laying on the ground, half leaning on a nearby building, clutching his now broken shoulder, with a dazed stare directed towards me.

I scoffed. "Do I know you?" He quickly shook his head. My senors displayed Krillin's current address. "Do you know me?" Once again, he shook his head. "Didn't think so."

He opened his mouth to speak but I jumped into the air and flew off before he could speak.

* * *

I KNOW IT'S TERRIBLE. I JUST COULDN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD. I'LL MOST LIKELY CONTINUE THIS OUT OF BOREDOM. I SINCERELY HOPE I DIDN'T WASTE YOUR TIME. REVIEW, BUT ONLY IF YOU FEEL LIKE IT. NO-ONE'S FORCING YOU TO. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY AND WRITE MANY STORIES.

BUBBLEGUM ROYALTY.


End file.
